This week's Rare Bird Alert

This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, Feb. 13.

A varied thrush has been seen visiting a bird feeder at a house on Maple Street in West Hopkinton every day since Feb. 9, one was reported visiting a bird feeder at a private residence in Nashua on Feb. 6, and another one was reported from a private residence in Bartlett on Jan. 28 where it was seen again and photographed on Feb. 4.

Ninety-nine common mergansers, 73 hooded mergansers, and two common goldeneyes were tallied on the Connecticut River below the Wilder Dam on Feb. 6.

A Lapland longspur was seen with a flock of 12 horned larks at the Exeter Wastewater Treatment Plant on Feb. 10.

An estimated 100 snow buntings and 100 horned larks were seen at the Nashua Airport on Feb. 10, and a flock of 30 snow buntings was seen in Lyme on the 11th.

A gray jay and three boreal chickadees were seen in Pittsburg on Feb. 6.

A peregrine falcon was seen in Hampton on Feb. 10, and one was seen in Hanover on the 7th.

A turkey vulture was seen in Exeter on Feb. 10.

A pine warbler was seen in Durham on Feb. 9.

An American pipit was seen at Ragged Neck in Rye on Feb. 10.

A Carolina wren was seen in Hanover on Feb. 9.

Hermit thrush sightings during the past week included one in Etna on Feb. 9, one in Merrimack and one in Pittsfield on the 12th, and one in Durham on the 10th.

This information is also available by phone recording: call 224-9909 and press 2 as directed or ask to be transferred. If you have seen any interesting birds recently, you can leave a message at the end of the recording or send your sightings to the RBA via e-mail at: birdsetc@nhaudubon.org. Please put either "bird sighting" or "Rare Bird Alert" in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and phone number. The RBA is also available on-line at the New Hampshire Audubon web site, www.nhaudubon.org.